Rikers Island Gang Assaults Have Increased Dramatically This Year

The number of gang assaults on Rikers Island have more than doubled in 2013, resulting in a 146 percent jump in felony assaults in the Bronx's 41st Precinct.

According to Gothamist, there were 106 such attacks last month. There were 43 during November of 2012.

The New York Post reports that the increase in fights is because the Correction Department decided to house members of the Crips and Trinitario gangs in the same place. "For the last 30 years, Crips have always been separated — everyone wants to beat up the Crips. But because more Trinitarios started getting locked up, they’re now throwing them in this one area," the source told the Post.

Gothamist also adds that the frequent number of fights can be attributed to a new directive requiring every assault to be recorded. In the past, this was reserved for incidents that ended in arrest.